LAS VEGAS – The offseason was three days away, tip-off was in an hour, and D’Angelo Russell sat at his locker in Oklahoma City, toying with his phone and describing his plans for the coming months. Yes, he said, he would play in the NBA Summer League.

Without looking up, he added, “And I’m going to dominate it, too.”

He described his plans to be more aggressive, and to camp out beneath the free throw line, using his 6-foot-5 frame to run the offense out of the post – like Magic Johnson.

This brand of cockiness is one of Russell’s most visible traits. Off court, most around the Lakers have learned roll their eyes at much of Russell’s behavior, like when he struts into the locker room, loudly squawking nonsense.

Maybe he flies too close to the sun. Or maybe that supreme confidence, the belief that he is special, is what got him through a roller-coaster rookie season that careened on rails of frustration and controversy.

What was clear by game No. 81, however, was that Russell was ready to turn the page.

Summer league was the next thing on the calendar. The next chance he had to reaffirm who he is as a player, to demonstrate that he can be the next great star for an organization that craves them more than any other in the NBA.

Russell’s rookie season could not tamp down his personality, but many believe it humbled him.

“There were a few times last year,” Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. said Friday, “we would sit down and talk and he’d say, ‘Man, I’ve never done this before. I’ve never struggled.’ Because obviously he’s been elite his entire life.”

The fact he was even on tap to take the court in summer league with rookies and professional players, mostly by players who have never played in the NBA and many who never will, said everything about Russell’s first season.

Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Karl-Anthony Towns, is not playing at summer league. Neither is Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks, or Jahlil Okafor of the 76ers.

“There’s a reason,” Russell said last week following a practice in El Segundo. “They dominated and showed that they didn’t belong there. I guess I didn’t show it. So I guess I got to show it when I get that opportunity.”

Russell’s rookie season was good, just inconsistent. He averaged 13.2 points and 3.3 assists in 48 starts. He was voted to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team, a nice pat on the back, if not a harbinger of impending superstardom.

With a year of battling against Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Damian Lillard, why wouldn’t he be able to push some of these guys around?

“You just feel like you’re ahead of those guys as far as the experience,” he said.

In the Lakers summer league opener against New Orleans on Friday, Russell scored 15 first-half points, but the coaches reminded him not to try to do too much himself.

“For us it’s just as important that he dominates by getting us into our offense and getting his teammates involved,” Lakers coach Luke Walton had said before the game. Surrounded by at least four other players who will be on the Lakers regular-season roster, Russell finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists – game highs in all categories.

He didn’t realize this until he was walking toward the bus.

“How many rebounds?” he asked.

Eleven.

Russell flexed in response.

Overall, was that the kind of performance he envisioned for himself when he spoke of dominating?

“This is not NBA,” Russell said. “This is confidence-building. This is not NBA.”

Russell learned that last year after an uneven Lakers debut in Las Vegas. He averaged 11.8 points in five games, but committed 5.2 turnovers per game and shot 11.8 percent on 3-pointers.

“Last year in summer league,” Russell’s father, Antonio, said, “it wasn’t one of those Cinderella stories.”

Russell spent the rest of the summer wondering why his first opportunity to demonstrate all of the skills that convinced the Lakers he was worthy of the No. 2 pick had been such a dud.

Then the regular season arrived.

“It’s a complete different game of basketball compared to the season of summer league,” he said. “When I got to the season I was like, ‘Summer league was nothing like this.’ Summer league was just an organized open gym.”

Russell started the first 20 games of the season, before Coach Byron Scott moved forward Julius Randle and him to the bench in favor of veterans Lou Williams and Brandon Bass.

Playing with the ball-dominant Kobe Bryant, Russell never really carved out an identity for himself.

“Coming out of college (from Ohio State) we all saw a guy at this level that could legitimately control the game,” forward Anthony Brown said, “and he didn’t do that as much as he wanted to last year.”

Said Nance: “He’s definitely getting back there.”

Along with Randle, Russell will participate in the USA Basketball training camp in Las Vegas later this month. He is locked into a leading role on this Lakers team, and acknowledged the arrival of former Duke star Brandon Ingram, this year’s No. 2 pick, may relieve some of the pressure he felt a year ago.

“You could say that,” he said.

As he struggled through his rookie year, Russell’s confidence never wavered. At least externally.

“D’Angelo’s one of those guys that’s not really going to let you see him sweat,” Antonio Russell said. “So with that he stayed in the gym. It was like, if he felt like he might have been putting too much pressure on himself, that’s what he does. He’s going to put in the work.”

Will he?

That’s a question that has dogged Russell. After the Lakers declined to retain Scott, the former coach went on “The Dan Patrick Show” and said Russell’s work ethic “needs to get better.”

That has not been an issue in the mind of Scott’s successor. Call it growth or a small sample size, but Russell has impressed Walton with his commitment.

“D’Angelo’s been great since I’ve been down here,” Walton said. “He’s been in the gym at least every day, sometimes twice a day. He comes back at night.”

Walton is excited to work with Russell, and the feeling is mutual. Asked what he would change the most with Walton at the helm instead of Scott, Russell couldn’t help but let some of his frustration with Scott’s system leak out.

“Being a point guard,” he said. “Guidance in being a point guard. Not just getting thrown out there, saying, ‘Run this team.’ Just the guidance. I feel the guidance is there.”

Wanting to dominating is one thing. Becoming great is never a solitary endeavor.

Why is it so important for Russell? Why was he already looking ahead to these “organized open gym” games as critical to his future way back in April?

“For my own good,” he said. “I feel like I still got to prove myself, that I can play with these guys, I can play at this level, I can dominate at this level. And not just be average.”

Bill Oram covers the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and NBA for the Southern California News Group. He joined the Orange County Register staff in 2013 after previously covering the Utah Jazz for the Salt Lake Tribune. During most players' and coaches' media sessions, he is the guy in the background wearing a University of Montana Grizzlies cap.

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